In His Service

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Austin's POV

Thank goodness for Derek's phone calls and Jake's dinner obligations. I was dying for some alone time with the new girl. 

After the first round of shots with Jake, Derek had appeared out of nowhere to do a shot with us, and I watched in appreciation as Virginia tossed back the second shot of straight whiskey with no chaser. I like a woman who can drink liquor. 

I was never more satisfied when Derek's phone buzzed again, drawing him away from the conversation and back into business conversations. Guiltily I remembered I had some business conversations to catch up on myself, but thankfully most of them were with outdoorsmen and ranchers who didn't operate on strict standards of time the way Derek's business dealings did. 

At my suggestion, Virginia agreed to one more shot of whiskey before leaving the bar, and I relished the view of her slender neck working to swallow the burning liquid, the hollow at the base of her neck flexing slightly as she forced it down with a grimace. 

When her eyes met mine I saw the twinkle in them that confirmed my suspicion that she was a bit of a light-weight when it came to alcohol. The rosy flush that was creeping up her chest from the neckline of her off-shoulder sweater added to her intrigue. 

I felt myself getting protective, wanting to make sure she was safe. I probably shouldn't have suggested the last shot, but hell, we were all a little nervous today. It couldn't hurt. 

That was before I watched Virginia slide off the bar stool and lose her balance immediately, one of her heels twisting under her foot and causing her to teeter dangerously on one foot. 

I caught her instantly around the waist, her flailing arms latching onto my shoulders as she took a moment to focus and find her feet. When she met my eyes and giggled, I melted. When she groaned and dropped her forehead against my chest in embarrassment, I was a puddle on the ground. 

Ignoring the stares from the businessmen and their "dates" who had filled up the lounge since we came in, I gathered Virginia to me and cradled her head against my chest, running my hands up and down her back as she pulled herself together. 

After a moment she stood up, facing me with apologetic eyes, and sighed. 

"Sorry about that," She began sheepishly. "I was hired to take care of you and the other guys. Not the other way around." 

"Shhhhh, stop, Virginia." I pulled her back against me and gave her a comforting hug before letting go and grabbing her hand instead.  As I lead her out of the lounge and onto the semi-circle deck over the desert, I continued, "You're handling this day better than any of us imagined you would. In fact, I think you're doing better than any of us are with the idea of it." 

"Maybe it just hasn't all sunk in yet," she suggested with a shrug. "I'm sure any normal person would have had some more questions, a little hesitation in signing that contract. But nope, not me! I just sign off on my consent to having sex with all four of you in one day!" 

I raised my eyebrows and opened my mouth to say something, but she kept going. 

"I mean, not having sex with all of you in one day. But signing my consent to it all in one day. I guess I should have asked exactly when all these duties would be beginning..." She trailed off, her eyes scanning the desert for a moment, then fixating on mine. "I guess legally I don't have much of a say in the when or where of it all. I've already said yes, so just take me as you see fit!"

She flung her arms wide as she spoke, tossing her head back to expose the length of her neck and her delicate collarbones as the wind tossed tendrils of dark hair around her face. I grabbed both her hands and pulled her close to me, her hands against my chest. 

We searched each other's eyes for a moment, hers full of questions, but no sign of regret or remorse. Derek had told us she responded well to honesty and full discretion, so I thought that would be a good place to start. 

Hell, I needed to start somewhere, and if I left it up to my smaller brain, I would start by tearing her clothes off and devouring her right there on the deck. As she just confirmed, she knew what this job entailed and she consented to it fully. But for this to work, we had to show some restraint. 

She was more than just a play thing. She was an employee with huge responsibilities to the company. The physical benefits were just that--benefits. None of us would get to enjoy them if everything else didn't run smoothly. So, I gave her the most honest statement I could. 

"Virginia, I would love nothing more than to take you to my bunkhouse in the stables, rip your clothes off, and indulge in my baser desires for the rest of the evening." I swallowed hard, forcing down the boner that was forming at my own thoughts. Damn I had a strong mind. "But--" I continued, noticing the way her eyes widened and her lips parted slightly. "I think today we just need to get to know each other a little. Let me show you the stables and introduce you to my horses." 

Virginia's wide eyes relaxed into a dazzling smile, and she nodded enthusiastically. Grabbing my hand, she pulled me to the nearest staircase that curved towards the open air patio which served as a ballroom for outdoor parties. 

"I love horses!" she said excitedly, pulling on my hand as she skipped down the stairs. All traces of drunkenness were gone from her steps as she danced along, but the flush in her cheeks and chest remained as a testament to just how much her body was still responding to the whiskey. 

When we reached the edge of the patio, she hesitated, looking left and right down the pathway that led away from the lodge in opposite directions, clearly lost as to which way to choose. I watched as she swayed slightly on the spot, clearly not as stable standing still as she had been with the momentum of walking. 

I made up my mind in an instant, sliding one hand behind her back and bending down to hook the other behind her knees. Her startled, girlish squeal turned me on even more, and I shifted her up against my chest so that she couldn't feel the boner I was unable to keep down as I set off to the left towards the stables. 

Derek was a hundred different types of crazy, but hiring Virginia Sullivan might have been the best crazy thing he had ever done. 

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